From the perspective of a service provider or network operator, the most common driver for user initiated contact related to service problems is typically caused by in-home wiring issues. For example, standard metrics used to evaluate user terminal (e.g., modem) performance are subject to equalization and may provide a misleading or incomplete picture of signal performance. Standard metrics generally provide a good representation of the user's overall experience, but the equalization can mask signal impairments which may manifest intermittently and not necessarily at the time of analysis.
Furthermore, intermittent issues are often hidden by equalization employed by user terminals. Intermittent transmission problems often result in inconclusive troubleshooting and a poor user experience. This often leads to a user repeatedly contacting the network operator to complain about issues such as failures and difficulties on the part of a technician in recreating an error condition. When debugging a fault, traditional performance metrics are generalized and fail to provide an indication as to where the source of the fault is located.
Improved techniques are needed to minimize operational down-time, shorten service time, and enhance a user's experience.